Dear Listers, I've just found another letter from a German immigrant describing his journey to and early life in America called: MEMOIRS OF SAINTED PASTOR JOHN HENRY CHRISTOPH STEEGE b. Ruhagen Germany 1841 http://www.steege.com/jhcs-memoirs.html some SURNAMES in the letter are: Karl, Heinrich, Philipp STEEGE Johann, Heinrich, Christoph STEEGE Heinrich Wüstenfeld was a distant neighbor in Germany and came to America with the Roch's several years before Katherine, Sophia SCHMIDT grandmother's sister, a Mrs. Christoph GROSS, in Hanover, "the ROCH's family Pastor F. SALLMANN came to Elk Grove and on April 15, 1855 second oldest sister Dorethea BREMMER Younger sisters: "Sophia married our faithful teacher August TABEL on October 11, 1870 and Maria married teacher A. GRUHL, a friend of August Tabel on May 30, 1871." http://www.steege.com/jhcs-memoirs.html Very interesting read.... Enjoy!